A crabby old man . . . . . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit . . . . . with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food . . . . . and makes no reply.

When you say in a loud voice . . . . . \’I do wish you\’d try!\’
Who seems not to notice . . . . . the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . A sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not . . . . . lets you do as you will,

With bathing and feeding . . . . . The long day to fill?
Is that what you\’re thinking? . . . . . Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . . you\’re not looking at me.

I\’ll tell you who I am. . . . . . As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, . . . . . as I eat at your will.
I\’m a small child of Ten . . . . . with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters . . . . . who love one another.

A young boy of Sixteen . . . . with wings on his feet.
Dreaming that soon now . .. . . . a lover he\’ll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . . . my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows . . . . . that I promised to keep.

At Twenty-Five, now . . . . . I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . .. . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . . . With ties that should last.

At Forty, my young sons . . .. . . have grown and are gone,
But my woman\’s beside me . . . . . to see I don\’t mourn.
At Fifty, once more, babies play \’round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . . My loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me . . . . . my wife is now dead.
I look at the future . . . . . shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing . . . . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . .. . and the love that I\’ve known.

I\’m now an old man . .. . . . and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles . . . . . grace and vigor, depart.

There is now a stone . . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . . . . . a young guy still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys . . . . . I remember the pain.

And I\’m loving and living . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . . .. . gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . . that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people . . . .. . open and see.
Not a crabby old man .. . . Look closer . . . see ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within.

We will all, one day, be there, too!

submitted by Hank Miller, Japan

photo sent by Catherine Gottert

info submitted by Mark

Two Feet of Snow

By Samuel Chamberlain

February 17, 2010

For some, the Feb. 10 snowstorm was an inconvenience. But for Upper West Side artist Gerry Lynas, the blizzard presented a creative opportunity.

Lynas crafted Two Feet of Snow on West 83rd Street, a 5-and-a-half-foot tall representation of a pair of human feet directly in front of his home and studio, at 233 W. 83rd St. and Broadway.

\”I got home [that night], and felt that the snow was perfect material,\” he said. \”It’s seldom that you get that kind of snow that sticks together. Usually it’s just way too powdery.\”

February 24

Lindenwold, NJ – \”A penny saved is a penny earned,\” \”Ben Franklin\” advised morning

PATCO commuters as they arrived at the transit system’s station at 8^th and Market Streets in Philadelphia, reminding them of its FREEDOM to Save program. Franklin’s morning greeting and an evening event at PATCO’s Woodcrest Station in Cherry Hill, where participating businesses gave out free gifts and information on the program, marked the one-year anniversary of PATCO’s customer benefits program.

Through FREEDOM to Save, retailers, restaurants, service providers and other companies provide discounts or other perks to users of PATCO’s FREEDOM Card, its smart card fare collection system. Participating businesses display PATCO-provided window decals and counter signs announcing their involvement in the FREEDOM to Save program, and PATCO promotes the participating companies and their offers through a special page on its Web site and Facebook and Twitter updates and in-station events.

\”The FREEDOM to Save program has been a success for us in providing added value for our 35,000 daily riders and in supporting our regional business community,\” said John J. Matheussen, President of PATCO, \”and was enormously helpful in supporting our goal to convert 90 percent of our riders to adopt the FREEDOM Card.\”